Teaching with Codecademy
Hey Libcodeyear peeps,
I thought it would be worth mentioning that I'm using Codecademy in a course I'm teaching this semester. The course is called "The Nature of Knowledge" (I know, awesome right?) and my co-instructor and I are specifically investigating what happens to knowledge when it becomes digital and networked. As such, the final project is editing Wikipedia articles. To introduce the concept of a markup language and its particular separation of form and content, our students are completing the very first "HTML Basics" lesson and optionally the "Build Your Own Website" project for extra credit.
Secondly, Codecademy, despite some poor directions on certain lessons, is a pretty great tool. Several students showed enthusiasm. Many thought learning the "secret language" of the web was cool. A few expressed interest in doing more lessons. I think, as a one-off lesson inside of a larger course, Codecademy is an excellent delivery platform.
So that's all. Has anyone else considered doing this? What about teaching a whole "Intro to HTML" course with it? I love the idea of stealing this great, interactive platform and supplementing it with the personal touch of instruction.